Work continues on the construction of Costa Toscana, Costa Cruises’ new flagship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Today, at the Meyer shipyard in Turku (Finland), the second part of the traditional “coin ceremony” took place, attended by the ship’s captain Pietro Sinisi, and by the shipyard and the company’s management. Following the maritime tradition, some commemorative coins were placed on the ship, as a good luck charm for crew members, guests and future itineraries.
In the two weeks prior to the coin ceremony, the Costa Toscana had left the Turku shipyard to carry out sea trials, during which the ship successfully passed a series of tests to verify the proper functioning of systems, equipment, and LNG engines. This is another key step towards delivery, scheduled for December 2021.
Costa Toscana, like her sister ship Costa Smeralda, is powered by liquefied natural gas, the marine industry’s most advanced fuel technology currently available for reducing emissions, both at sea and during port calls. The Costa Group – which includes Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises – has been the first company in the cruise industry to believe in this technology and can currently count on four LNG-powered ships, two of which are already in service, AIDAnova and Costa Smeralda, and two soon to be delivered, Costa Toscana and AIDACosma.
Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises, commented: “These additional key steps in the completion of the Costa Toscana confirm our commitment to evolution towards an increasingly sustainable cruise model. At the same time Costa Toscana, thanks to her excellent and innovative services, will be able to attract new cruise guests, helping us to consolidate our presence in the Mediterranean and our gradual restart plan”.
Costa Toscana’s first cruise will homeport from Savona, Italy, on March 5, 2022, with a week-long itinerary that includes Marseille, Barcelona, Valencia, Palermo and Civitavecchia/Rome. Following her debut, the new flagship will remain deployed in the Western Mediterranean throughout the year. During the summer season, Costa Smeralda will call at Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Ibiza, Valencia and Marseille, while during the fall season Palma de Mallorca will replace Ibiza.
The new flagship is a tribute to Tuscany, a result of an extraordinary creative project curated by Adam D. Tihany, designed to enhance and bring to life, in a single location, the excellences of the wonderful Italian region, which generated the names for the ship, her decks and main public areas. The furnishings, lighting, fabrics, and accessories will all be Made in Italy and designed specifically for the Costa Toscana by 15 partners, who are highly representative of Italian excellence. The offer on board will be perfectly integrated in this extraordinary context: from the Solemio Spa to other areas dedicated to entertainment, from thematic coffee bars created in collaboration with major Italian brands, to the 16 restaurants and areas dedicated to the “food experience”. In this comfortable and elegant context, the over 2,600 cabins also perfectly reflect the Italian style and taste. The category of cabins with “terrace on the sea” will offer a splendid dependance where to have breakfast, drink an aperitif or simply enjoy the view.